


As It Was

by BrightTerror



Series: BrightTerror's 2020 Whumptober [15]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Alex is iconic, Angst with a Happy Ending, Autistic Spencer Reid, Fluff, Gen, Happy Ending, Hotch Rossi and Blake are the unofficial parents of Reid, Hurt Spencer Reid, Hurt/Comfort, Infection, Medical Procedures, Spencer Reid Needs a Hug, Team as Family, i don't make the rules
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:33:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27136679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrightTerror/pseuds/BrightTerror
Summary: Whumptober day 21. I DON’T FEEL SO WELL (Infection)He was going to be fine, he just needed to sleep it off and he would be much better in the morning...right?
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner & Spencer Reid, Alex Blake & Spencer Reid, Spencer Reid & David Rossi, Spencer Reid & The BAU Team
Series: BrightTerror's 2020 Whumptober [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948378
Comments: 6
Kudos: 195
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	As It Was

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!   
> Thanks to [AppalachianApologies](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AppalachianApologies/pseuds/AppalachianApologies) for helping me write this by giving me ideas and motivation! 
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy!

If he ever wondered what a punching bag felt like he sure as hell didn’t need to wonder now. He could feel the punches landing in the stomach, the abdomen, his chest...one after the other. In that moment he was the unsubs personal punching bag and Reid was counting down the seconds for his team to get to him. He was lucky though; the unsub didn’t throw proper punches so they weren’t as bad as they could be. 

At least he hadn’t broken any ribs or damaged anything important, yet, so he was grateful for that. He was going to end with a lot of bruises though and those would take a while to heal. 

From one second to the next there was an instant relief and the punches stopped. He didn’t notice when his team came in, but they were there, subduing the unsub and untying Reid to get him out of there. 

The next part was the part Reid least enjoyed about getting rescued when he got kidnapped: the medical check-up. Rossi was adamant that the paramedics checked him up to make sure Reid was alright. 

He hated it, everyone was talking to him, touching him and asking him too many questions when all he wanted was to curl in a blanket and sit in blissful silence. But it was part of the job, so he powered through it. 

He convinced the team and the paramedics that he was fine. He didn’t need to go to the hospital since everything seemed alright, as he had thought, no broken ribs or major damage, just a couple of nasty-looking bruises. So, they let him go home, accompanied by someone of course, to rest. 

Before Morgan could speak up that he was going to stay with Reid, Alex volunteered. Everyone agreed she was a good option to look out for him, they knew she could get through his stubbornness when he was not feeling great. 

Reid just wanted to go home and sleep, he didn’t want a babysitter and he didn’t want to talk. He was too drained to make a conversation. However, Alex was indeed the best option, so he agreed. She understood him better than the others, it’s as if she had a secret sense to  _ know _ what Reid needed at the moment, whether it was a hug, space, comforting silence or a conversation about science to clear his mind. 

He shivered as he got into the car and curled on himself as Alex drove. Thankfully, they drove in silence and Reid gratefully appreciated it. He was in a lot of pain but nothing he couldn’t handle. His stomach was hurting him more by the minute, but he figured it was just because his adrenaline was wearing off, so he felt the pain more intense. 

He was going to be fine, he just needed to sleep it off and he would be much better in the morning. 

As soon as both of them got to Reid’s apartment, Alex manhandled Reid to his room and told him to rest while she got him food and some ice for his bruises. Of course, Reid tried to protest and try to help but Alex was as stubborn as him, so eventually he lost the fight and stayed on his bed, but first he showered and changed into more comfortable clothes. She got a bag of ice from the freezer and found some frozen mozzarella sticks she then heated for him. Once he was better Alex was going to have a long talk with him about eating something more than pop tarts and frozen foods. 

Once she made sure he ate and took some Advil for the pain, she told him to sleep, then grabbed a blanket so she could crash on the couch for the night. Reid pouted when Alex demanded his door be open just in case he felt worse through the night so she could help him. 

She got about two hours of sleep when she woke up with a jolt. Something was  _ wrong _ . It only took her a few seconds to process what was happening, there were heaving sounds coming from the bathroom. She walked towards the noise and found a very sickly-looking Spencer Reid hunched over the toilet emptying the contents of his dinner earlier. His face was contorted in pure pain as he clutched his free hand to his stomach. 

Alex immediately knelt next to him and began patting him, rubbing circles on his back to comfort him. She waited until he stopped throwing up. “Reid, are you feeling any better?”

“I’m fine” he croaked out too fast for it to be true. It's just that was his default response since childhood, he always took care of himself and never had someone to help him when he was sick. Sure, sometimes his mom had good days but those rarely correlated with his sick days. 

“Reid.” Alex said unbelievingly and raised an eyebrow. “I’m going to ask again, are you feeling any better?”

Spencer shook his head miserably and whined. “It just feels worse.” He turned his head to look at her. 

That's when Alex noticed exactly how bad he looked at the moment. Reid’s eye bags were more defined, he was very pale that didn't contrast well with the bruises on his face, and his hair was stuck to his forehead due to all the sweat. He was shivering. 

Alex frowned and placed the back of her hand to his forehead. It was very warm to the point she didn’t need a thermometer to know he had a fever. “Spencer, what are you feeling? I need to know the  _ exact _ symptoms that you're experiencing.”

“Bad.” he whimpered and curled on in himself. 

“That’s not a symptom and you know it.” Alex said softly as she twirled her hand through his hair. 

“Uh. cold… I’ve been shivering and having chills ever since we left the unsub’s place.” he mumbled. “I feel as if I can't breathe well. Nausea and vomiting.” Reid tried to specify. On a good day he could tell which symptoms he was experiencing and with their scientific names, along with a rant of what he could or could not have based on them. However today was not a good day and he was struggling to even name properly what he was feeling. “My insides feel like they are burning, and it  _ hurts. _ ” Reid said softly.

Alex was a doctor, and a very smart one at that. She knew there was no way any of those string of symptoms could lead to anything good. “Spencer...” she began and pursed her lips; she knew he wasn't going to like what she was going to say. “We have to get you to a hospital. 

“No, I’m fine” Reid said too quickly, he moved too fast which made him want to throw up again, he went back to his original hunching position because apparently, he wasn't done emptying his stomach yet. Alex just stared at him, not saying anything because he was proving her point. “Fine, I am not okay, but I will get better, just need to sleep it off.”

“I am not calling an ambulance because I know you hate them, but you  _ have _ to go. I think something is really wrong, especially after you got beat up today.” Alex tried to explain. 

“But we don't call Hotch or anyone. Okay?” Reid mumbled weakly. “I hate that they worry more than they have to.” 

Alex didn't point out how their team had every right to be as worried as they were, given Reid’s medical history, instead she gave him a motherly smile and helped him get up. “Alright, deal. I won't call anyone else unless it is absolutely necessary.” She picked up a few trash bags in case Reid got nauseous on the car, grabbed her coat and keys and helped Reid into her car. 

Reid was silently wincing from the pain at every turn the car made, he thought she didn't notice but she did. She was a profiler after all, besides she  _ cared  _ about him. It was obvious something was wrong with Reid and he was hurting, and not just from the punches he received earlier. She kept her head clear and focused on getting to the hospital, she could dwell on it later, right now Spencer needed her. 

Once they arrived, they got admitted pretty quick after she showed the FBI badges. Now that the staff knew they were from the FBI they worked faster than usual. Reid was uncomfortable while the doctors took out blood samples, sent him to get x rays and a CT scan, yet he didn’t complain.

Now they were waiting in a hospital room while the test results were ready. Alex was tempted to call the team to inform them, but she promised Reid she wouldn’t do that. Her brain was coming up with all the possible and worst-case scenarios that could happen and being sleep deprived didn’t help her have a clear head. She hoped this was all an exaggeration and they could go home soon, but she had a gut feeling it wasn’t going to go well. 

Reid was lying in the hospital bed attached to a heart monitor and wrapped in a light-weather sweater, they didn’t let him wear any more layers or his fever could spike again. The two of them waited for about half an hour when the Doctor finally came in. 

Both Spencer and Alex knew the second the doctor walked in that there was some bad news. For an average eye, the doctor was calm and showing no telling emotions, but they were profilers, they could see the tiny details in her expression that something wasn't right. 

“What’s the bad news?” Reid said, resigned to his horrible fate. 

The doctor did a double take and was caught unguarded for a moment, she wasn't expecting them to know it was bad already. 

“We are going to have to prep you for surgery, Doctor Reid. It appears you have peritonitis, it's an infection caused by a perforated bowel. The infection isn't too worrying, a few antibiotics and that should be cleared. However, the problem is the perforated bowel.” She told him. “A perforated bowel is-”

“It's a hole in your gastrointestinal tract.” Reid answered for him and began giving the textbook definition of it. “this can develop anywhere in your gastrointestinal tract, which runs from your throat to your rectum. Food travels down your esophagus, into your stomach, where it empties into your small intestine, and then into your large intestine, or bowel. If the perforation occurs in your bowel, it may be called a perforated bowel.”

The doctor was impressed, to say the least. “I can see you are well aware of what it is.” 

Reid shrugged shyly. “Eidetic memory.”

“Do you know how it developed?” Alex asked. “ I know the usual causes for it can be Diverticulitis, Ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, Toxic megacolon, Strangulated hernia, which can result in poor blood flow to the intestines and loss of blood or poor blood flow to the intestine caused by a blockage in the artery. But Spencer doesn't fit into any of those, he was just fine a few hours ago.”

“I see you know your medicine, Miss...?” The doctor trailed off to ask her for her name.

“Doctor Alex Blake.” Alex responded with a tight smile. 

“Oh, You're both doctors, how nice.” She smiled for a second before continuing explaining Reid's situation. “Doctor Blake, you are correct, those are the most known causes, however some other, lesser known causes can be a severe blow to the abdomen, and based on Doctor Reid’s history, he was involved in an altercation that led to him getting beat up, correct?” Reid nodded in confirmation. “I think that's what caused the perforated bowel. The surgery doesn't have any major risks and because we caught in on time, he should make a full recovery if everything goes well.”

Alex nodded intently and squeezed Reid’s hand for support. “You know I’m calling Hotch and Rossi for this right?”

Reid scrunched his nose and let his head fall down, forwards. “But they will worry. I do not like when they worry.” he sighed. “And is it really necessary?” He gave her the puppy's eyes look. 

“Spencer, I told you I wasn't calling them unless strictly necessary. A surgery definitely counts as necessary. I’m calling the team.”

_______

Spencer’s surgery was a success and right now he was still under the influence of sedatives, so he was knocked out. The entire team was waiting for any news of him in the waiting room. As soon as they were called by Alex to inform them of Reid’s condition, they dropped everything to get there as fast as they could. 

Hotch had been sleeping when he got the news, he immediately called Jessica to watch over Jack, got dressed then he drove to the hospital. JJ--along with Hotch-- was the only one who managed to get dressed properly, thanks to Will, and was the second one to show up. Both Morgan and Garcia had forgotten they had been sleeping when they received the call so they both showed up half dressed, half in their pyjamas. Morgan had slippers on and grey sweatpants with a sweater on. 

Garcia was in her Doctor Who pyjamas: dalek pants and a shirt with the Tardis on it. She barely had time to grab her long, comfy pink sweater when she left. She wasn't thinking straight, her baby g man needed her. Rossi had been enjoying some scotch and listening to classical music so he showed up still in his work clothes except for the suit jacket. Also, he showed up with coffees for everyone because he knew they would all need it, him included. 

When Reid eventually woke up, he was immediately greeted with the six familiar faces of his family he loved. Alex was there, giving him a smile and a slight nod to convey to him the surgery went well. Garcia carefully yet enthusiastically hugged him and rambled on how he better not scare them again or she would wrap him in bubble wrap so he could simply  _ not  _ get hurt anymore.

Hotch placed a hand on his shoulder and told him he was glad Reid was okay. He failed to mention he was worried sick and had been slowly breaking down on the inside. Reid didn’t need to know that. 

Morgan was frowning at him at first and went on a lecture on how he should have gotten checked out at a proper hospital instead of the paramedics. Reid had scared him and Morgan didn't want to lose his little brother. Once he finished his lecture he relaxed a little, seeing Reid was alright, then he gave him a hug and ruffled his hair as he began to banter with him.

They all had their moments and spent time with him while he was in the hospital. The doctors wanted to keep him for two days and if everything went alright he could go home soon, meanwhile there were a bunch of tests they had to do to make sure everything was in order. 

So, the BAU kept him company and bantered with him, it wasn't too bad. 

At some point Morgan made him laugh and he winced at the sharp pain in his abdomen, after all he just had surgery and it was healing. “I do not recommend this at all” he motioned to himself and the machines he was hooked on to, “Next time I hope whatever happens to me doesn't involve surgeries or hospital stays.” 

Everyone gawked at him, surprised at how he had just accepted he was going to get hurt again. 

“There is not going to be a next time.” Rossi huffed and shook his head. “Bold of you to assume Garcia isn't going to follow through the bubble wrap threat.” 

“She was joking, though. Right?” Reid chuckled and looked at his family with a confused frown when no one answered him, but exchanged knowing glances with each other. He began to suspect they were serious. “You're kidding, right? Right?!”

**Author's Note:**

> [Here](https://www.sepsis.org/sepsisand/perforated-bowel/) is where i got the perforated bowel information from
> 
> I'm participating in the whumptober challenge this year and I'm writing Prodigal Son and Criminal Minds the most for it. So if you like those fandoms you can check out my [BrightTerror's 2020 whumptober series](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948378)
> 
> If you want to come and chat find me on Tumblr as: @BrightTerror  
> Have an amazing day!


End file.
